Sayuri's Story
by Secret42011
Summary: Sayuri, a girl with healing abilities and an unknown amount of plant magic, enlists as a nurse at the Dark Tournament when her mother is killed and she must take up a job to care for herself and her younger sister. OC X Kurama-san
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Gazing out of the train window into the cold rain, Sayuri looked back on the past few weeks of her life. Everything had all happened rather quickly. It was frightening just how quickly. She had been living with her younger sister, Mai and their mother for as long as she could remember. It was a comfortable life and she thoroughly enjoyed it: get up, go to school, return, do homework, sleep, and begin anew. Once summer started, she would stay with her sister and cook her lunch. It wasn't at all difficult. She was at ease. Secretly, like any other, she yearned for adventure, but never enough to actually start up a project or plan a trip. However, life was good, so it didn't actually require change. However, change did come. One day, about 2 weeks ago, was when tragedy struck. Sayuri remembered that school had been out for summer vacation and she was sitting at home with her sister. Mai could not be trusted to stay home alone due to her uncanny ability to set the kitchen on fire any time she attempted to make herself something to eat. After lunch, Mai sat watching the television as Sayuri cleared away and began washing the dishes. That was when the phone rang. Half-expecting her mother, calling from work, to inquire as to whether Mai had eaten her vegetables, Sayuri picked up the receiver. That's when her world of comfort came to an abrupt end. The kitchen seemed to swirl into a mass of colors as she tried to absorb the information coming from the phone. The man kept apologizing, saying that nothing could be done. Why was he apologizing? What had happened? Sayuri received her answers too soon… A coworker had found her mother lying face down in a dark alley-way. A passerby said that there was a man with what looked to be a small club talking to her. When the man asked her for money, she had refused, saying that she needed to buy dinner for her children. The man, short on patience, had then taken out his crude weapon and hit her in the back of the head. According to the pedestrian, she never even had a chance. Even after she put down the phone, the walls stayed out of focus. Somehow she had told Mai; somehow she had organized a wake and attended the wake…all in a daze.

In this swirl of feelings and days that followed, Sayuri realized that she must somehow get a job to support her sister and herself. After all, no one can last without money for long. Sayuri had spent a few sleepless nights thinking of what to do before she came up with a solution. As she was unnaturally spiritually aware for a human, she had been tagged by spirit world some time ago. They had found that she had a natural aptitude to be a healer. She also had spirit power enabling her to manipulate plants. However, in their eyes this strange power seemed useless in such a young girl (she had been 12 at the time). Now, three years later, Sayuri reflected on the bit of training she had been given concerning her healing abilities and decided that she should look into being a healer and earning money in that fashion. The Dark Tournament would be starting soon, and they would be hiring nurses. In the week and a half after her mother's funeral, Sayuri proceeded to train hard, remembering all her old lessons in healing and even devising some new techniques. When representatives came by looking for nurses, she was quickly hired and now, she found herself on a train, leaving her past life behind.

Sayuri was shaken out of her revenue with a jolt:

"Hey! I see it up ahead! Sis! We're almost there!"

"Hm? Oh…wow, that was quicker than I expected it to be."

The mass of tall dark building loomed ahead. This is where she and Mai would be staying for the next few weeks. With a sigh, Sayuri stretched and began to gather her few belongings.

She had to admit, the hotel suite they had been given was rather nice for the modest occupation of a nurse for some tournament. There was a bedroom with two beds, a bathroom, living room and even a small kitchen. Sayuri put her two suitcases down and turned toward the stairs to help her younger sister. Mai, however, had already successfully made it up two flights of stairs and was steadily climbing the third. The older girl smiled to herself, Mai was often underestimated because of her age, but Sayuri knew her sister's fiery spirit and determination. She would let no one help her up those stairs. Turning back, Sayuri walked into the bedroom and looked into the mirror above the dresser. She looked quite pale in the black mourning clothes, her hair, dusky gold in color, had escaped in wisps from her hat, and her eyes were a dull green from exhaustion. _This would never do,_ she thought in annoyance. How would she ever convince Mai to be happy once again if she looked like a wreck? Sayuri turned away from the mirror and began to unpack. _Mai would probably want the bed by the window…_ She laid out clean sheets onto the bed closer to the door and began to unpack her three pillows. _Mom always made fun of me for needing so many pillows_, she thought with a smile. _Hm… Things to do: unpack, make some food, go down to the main building and attend the brief meeting for the tournament's nurses. _Sayuri sighed. This would be a long day.

Sure enough by the time Sayuri had gotten back from her pre-tournament meeting, it was 11pm and all she could think about was a warm shower and drifting off to sleep. Mai was already in bed. The tournament would be starting tomorrow. All Sayuri could think as she was drifting off to sleep was: _tomorrow, things are going to get interesting…_

_

* * *

_

The first day of the Dark Tournament dawned clear and bright. _Just the kind of morning I'd imagine to be perfect for a day of senseless killing._ Sayuri made her bed and changed into her nurses' uniform: a plain dress and small beret marking her as a nurse of the Dark Tournament. She would spend this first day in the sick tent watching the more experienced nurses deal with injuries and maybe, towards the end of the day, do some healing of her own. Overall, a rather unexciting day. However, first she had to buy a ticket for Mai to watch from the stands. Her younger sister had insisted that she'd be fine staying home by herself but Sayuri had pointed out that the kitchen was as of the moment in fairly good shape and she did not want to return to a wreck.

"Mai…Mai-chan, wake up."

"Just a few more minutes…please…"

"I'm sorry, but you really need to get up. Remember, we still have to go find you a ticket unless of course you want to stay in the healer's tent with me."

Mai's eyes snapped open. "There's no way I'm missing going to watch wounded demons moan and groan all day! I might as well watch them tear each other to shreds than just see the losers!"

Sayuri shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? Go, get dressed. I'll make us some breakfast."

After a quick breakfast, Sayuri and Mai were out of their apartment and on their way to the ticket booth. Sayuri groaned inwardly upon seeing the line. _This is going to take a while. I hope I won't be late on my first day of work. _

"Hey Sayuri!"

Sayuri looked up. Mai was jumping up and down and waving her arms frantically.

"What's the matter?"

"Those girls over there! They're humans! Let's go talk to them!"

"Alright, no more sugary breakfast foods for you… Hm, it might actually be a good idea to make some friends in this place." _Also, I'd feel a bit safer if you were around people I could trust as opposed to in a crowd of demons who might decide to eat you for lunch. _Sayuri was still thinking over all the pros and cons of walking up to complete strangers when she realized that Mai was no longer by her side.

"Sayuri! Sayuri! Meet Botan-san, Keiko-san and Shizuru-san!" Mai exclaimed. She then turned to the three girls: "This is my big sister Sayuri. She's a nurse here at the tournament!" Mai beamed proudly up at her sister.

The girl with the blue hair, the one Mai had referred to as Botan turned to Sayuri and smiled brightly. "Hi! It's very nice to meet you. We're here rooting for team Urameshi. Aren't they incredible?"

The best Sayuri could do was nod with a small smile. She had no idea who this team was, but these girls seemed nice so hopefully the team they were rooting for wasn't as terrible as the rest of them.

* * *

Shizuru looked up at the two girls in front of her. They both emanated some spiritual energy, especially the older one. _They seem like good kids though_.

"Of course we'll keep an eye on your sister."

The older girl looked very relieved. "Thank you so much. The day will be very stressful as it is and if I'll be worrying about Mai-chan all day too…"

"Don't worry, it's not a problem," Shizuru reassured her. _Besides, it never hurts to make new friends. Especially human ones, with all these demons around…_

By the time Sayuri turned to leave, Botan was already in a fully animated discussion with Mai. "So? Is this your first time here? Have you ever seen demons before? Oh we're going to have so much fun together!"

_At least Mai-chan doesn't look too overwhelmed. Heh, it might be nice to have someone who can keep up with Botan-chan. _"All-right Mai-chan. You have money for a ticket?"

Mai nodded.

"Good, we're all set then."

* * *

Sayuri looked back one last time and sighed. _There's no point worrying like this. They seem to be good people and it's better than leaving Mai completely alone,_ she reassured herself. _Now, onward to the healer's tent._

It turned out that she had had nothing to worry about. Sayuri made it to her post with 5 minutes to spare. Within the first hour, she learned where all the supplies were located, and within another hour, she learned exactly which drugs to use to knock out her patients so they did not squirm too much when she tried to help them. After, four hours, completely used to the routine, Sayuri grew more relaxed and began to pay attention to the conversations being help around her. The other nurses were all demons and, for the most part, treated her as though she did not exist. Sayuri was perfectly fine with this as it let her concentrate on her work. However, now a conversation pricked her interest.

"Did you hear?"

"Yeah, that last fight…the red-haired boy."

"What an idiot."

"He almost let himself get killed for the sake of some filthy human!"

"You have to admit though, His strategy was ingenious."

"Yeah yeah… the Shimaneki grass, good idea. He must have timed it perfectly as well. The roots had just reached far enough when he was in a really tight spot."

"Nah, it was just luck."

"Maybe. At any rate, he must at least know his plants."

What was this? A contestant had risked his life for the sake of another. A human, at that. _I think I'd like to see this boy, especially if he knows his plants. Maybe he can show be a few tricks that would ward off opponents. _Tears prickled her eyes. _With what happened to mom and all, you just can't be too careful. _With this thought, Sayuri tied off another shook her head. _He not only risked the outcome of the fight, but his life… _

The work day passed slowly and by the end, Sayuri was tired and could only think of retrieving Mai from her new friends, having some dinner, _wait, after a day of seeing nothing but broken bones and various sized wounds maybe dinner didn't sound so appetizing,_ and curling up in her bed. Sayuri washed her hands, taking care to scrub thoroughly in hopes that she would not be taking any of her work home with her, and prepared to leave. Luckily, she did not have to take any of the equipment home with her. She may have been a healer, but that didn't mean that she could get away with just healing abilities alone. If she used her powers to completely heal every patient sent into the tent, she would be completely exhausted after one or two. However, with some bandages, ointment and a bit of the healer's craft, she was able to treat at least a dozen. They may be demons, but in Sayuri's opinion, all life deserved respect.

As she headed out the door, the cool breeze cleared her head a little and she was able to distance herself from the medic's work. Suddenly she remembered. _That red-haired boy they spoke of. I think I'd like to find out more about him. Mai should know something. After all, she was in the stands and must have seen the fight for herself._ With these thoughts, Sayuri walked with lighter steps on her way to reclaim her little sister.

* * *

Mai got up and stretched. Who knew people could go on tearing at each other for so many hours on end? She had to admit, however, some of the fights were very interesting to watch. She had found out from her companions about Team Urameshi. Apparently, one of the team members was Kazuma Kuwabara, the little brother of Shizuru-san. Yusuke Urameshi himself was Keiko's close friend. There were also Hiei, Kurama and a masked fighter who remained unknown even to his own team. The powers that both of the latter known fighters displayed were incredible, though in one case it was a clear show of intellect even more so than strength. Even though Kuwabara, and most definitely Yusuke were evidently very strong, the thirteen-year-old preferred the dragon of the darkness flame that Hiei had produced and knew for certain that her sister would like to hear about Kurama, who used plant magic to defeat his opponent. With these thoughts, Mai turned to see Sayuri starting up the steps and waved to her sister.

* * *

Sayuri had wondered why Mai was so quiet on the walk home but now she knew that her silence was just like a dam waiting to break. Now, sitting at the dinner table, Sayuri wasn't sure if it was safe to speak so much while trying to chew and swallow.

"And then the yo-yo-boy raised Kuwabara-kun _really_ high in the air! And we were all so scared that he was gonna fall and die, but he didn't! He made his rei-sword do this cool bendy-thing, and he got the yo-yo-boy! And he would have if the yo-yo-boy didn't cheat… And there was Hiei with the most amazing attack ever! "Dragon of the Darkest Flame" The guy he was fighting didn't leave anything behind but his outline on the wall. It was so cool! Yusuke-kun, his last name's Urameshi, he's kind-of their leader, he fought really well too. He barely had to use his spirit energy because he was so strong. I have to say, his opponent, Chu was an interesting character… Oh! You need to hear about this! Another member of the team, with fuchsia-colored hair and amazing green eyes, he almost lost because he was too nice. The demons all thought he was being stupid. Doesn't matter though, 'cause he won in the end. It was actually really cool, I thought you'd like to hear 'cause you love plants so much. He planted this seed inside his opponent and it grew inside him and then exploded in the end. There were such pretty flowers though… Anyhow, he seemed nice and I thought you might like to talk to him."

"Red hair, plant powers….oh! I've heard about him in the tent with the other healers. I was actually meaning to ask you about him. You say he seemed really nice? Maybe he wouldn't mind if I asked him a few things about plants. If he knows them really well, he might be able to suggest a few plants that would be good for healing. I'd feel bad asking him though, seems like he's busy…"

Mai sighed: "You _always_ feel bad about things. I don't think he'd mind too much. Anyway, I'm so excited to go back tomorrow! Botan-chan and the others are really nice and it's fun watching the battles with them, though it is scary sometimes."

"I'm glad you've found friends," Sayuri said with a smile. Truly, she was happy that her sister was in safe hands and not fighting them as well. Perhaps tomorrow she could find out more about the boy with the fuchsia-colored hair.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I will begin to stretch out time in this story. The Dark Tournament takes place over only a few days and this isn't really enough for characters to really get to know each other/become close. So I will alter it a bit, adding a day or two here and there. Also, in case it comes up in the future, I have decided that the events of the story (the regular yyh storyline included) have been moved to the year 2008 (or so). Basically, this will make the story feel more natural for today's date rather than the original did, because it was set in the 90's. So, computers and cell phones aren't unusual.

Chapter 2

After a first very interesting day, things settled into a somewhat normal routine for Sayuri. Every morning she would wake up early, make breakfast for Mai and herself, quickly eat and then head out to the healers' tent. There, she learned to become a better healer, to be able to deal with injuries faster as well as more proficiently. However, it seemed as though work was getting lighter and this was not because there were less injuries, but because the fatality rate had sky-rocketed in the tournament. The stronger teams were now battling and they were more brutal. It was unlikely for anyone to have lost and remained alive. Also, with the differences in strength, it was often-times that the winner would get by completely unscathed. The times that they wouldn't, Sayuri would tend to their injuries, trying very hard to ignore the fact that the demon she was healing had just killed one or more others. Mostly, they were very rude to her, condescending because she was a mere human, regardless of the fact that she was doing a service to them. There were others who were not rude and for some reason it was that group that made Sayuri's hair stand on end. _Perhaps I am getting too good at reading off of another's aura. _She thought. It was as though their murderous intentions were audible to her. In the meanwhile, Mai was keeping out of trouble and Sayuri was glad for the fact. The other girls who had come on the first day had not come again since because their team wasn't in those battles and Sayuri had to improvise a costume for Mai so that her sister looked more like a demon and would not be attacked for being human. Overall, the days passed pretty uneventfully and quite slowly.

One day, however, the world decided to turn Sayuri's life upside-down. Just like any other day, the healer woke up at 7am, got out of bed, got dressed and began to make breakfast. She should have realized today would be different when Mai came in rubbing her eyes, having woken up without the help of her sister. Glossing over this surprise, the two girls ate their breakfast and headed out to their various destinations. The second point of difference that morning was that the girls Mai had met on their first day had returned saying that team Urameshi would be fighting today. Sayuri wished them good luck and waved goodbye, leaving for the tent. Today was also the first day she would be allowed out of the tent to be a field-medic, tending to the injured who did not need to be, or could not be, taken into the tent. Nonetheless, she had to first check in inside the tent and pick up her supplies for the day. By this point, she had gained some respect from her co-workers and was given a few pointers about her first day out in the new position:

"You will be seeing a lot of blood, more so than here. Don't worry so much about it. Most of the ones, who bleed so much, will not need a healing because they will die. "

"Yes, don't fret about them. They really don't matter anyway."

"Good luck Sayuri-chan! Don't get eaten by a stray demon!"

* * *

Three hours later, Sayuri sat down, reflecting on what craze of events that had taken place since she left the tent. First off, as she had never seen the battles before, Sayuri was quite terrified by what was transpiring on the arena. Team Urameshi was missing two of its members, the ones named Hiei and Kurama and the rest had been fighting for their lives against Dr. Ichigaki's team. The battle was insane. The three opponents of Team Urameshi seemed to be fighting with some invisible force that only showed by the destruction that it caused. Then Team Urameshi's Kazuma Kuwabara had all but sacrificed himself in hopes of "reawakening?" his opponents. He believed that he could help them free themselves of their parasites. The technique behind it was sort-of fuzzy, but Dr. Ichigaki had somehow planted parasites on these three humans, turning them into killing machines. Kuwabara's idea had worked to a degree. The three began to cry tears of blood, asking Yusuke Urameshi and the masked fighter to kill them. After that, something incredible occurred: the masked fighter chanted some spell and launched into the air, striking the three in the chest. They then descended and were thought to be dead. At that point, Sayuri had run over to tend to the injured Kuwabara. Miraculously, they had missed all his vital points and she was able to heal him almost completely so that even though he should not fight for the remainder of the day, the wounds should be completely healed by the following day. In a swirl of events, the ones named Kurama and Hiei had reentered. With them was the master of Dr. Ichigaki's team, who was supposed to have been dead. That was when the doctor injected himself with some serum and turned into a demon. He was no match for the enraged Yusuke. In just a few moments, Dr. Ichigaki had been killed, giving Team Urameshi an ultimate victory. Sayuri was happy with these results. The doctor, with his unnatural experiments, had creeped her out.

Now, the victorious Yusuke was angry with himself at having been unable to save his three opponents, especially now as their master had returned to them. Suddenly, there was movement on the arena. Sayuri gasped. The three who had been assumed to be dead, were getting up. Then, as their master approached them, they turned their heads in shame. They did not feel worthy of his attention now that they had committed such sins. At that statement, the masked fighter stepped forward.

"The spell I used allowed their souls to fight off the parasites," she explained. "The fact that they are alive means that their souls were uncorrupted. You have no reason to feel ashamed," she said turning to the three.

After the happy reunion with their master, Sayuri judged that it was her turn to attend to them and heal their injuries, which were not great, but still present. The three thanked her and left for their master. Once free, Sayuri could no longer keep her attention from the fuchsia-haired boy standing only a few yards away from her. She had just recently finished reading Les Misérables and could not help but remember Victor Hugo's words on describing the moment with Cosette and Marius really saw each other for the first time. _Oh yes! "Few people dare say nowadays that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other, yet that is the way love begins, and only that way. The rest is only the rest and comes afterwards. Nothing is more real than the great shocks that two souls give each other in exchanging this spark."_Sayuri sighed. Surely it was all nonsense. She always loved such stories, but there was no way life behaved in the same fashion. Then she managed another glance up and him and looked down blushing. No…Victor Hugo unfortunately knew what he was talking about. Sayuri did not even know what had really caused this reaction. Yes, he was certainly very handsome, but so were some other boys she had encountered. There was also something in his speech, in his stance that exuded confidence and yet was not arrogance. And even beyond all that, there was such a gentleness that surrounded him, like an aura. Sayuri shook her head. This was silly. And yet…she could not look up without blushing. _At any rate, I should depart for lunch. Hopefully I'll be able to start thinking straight again.

* * *

_

Upon returning to the stadium, Sayuri gasped at what had transcended. An imposter nurse was speaking to Hiei and the masked fighter in a make-shift tent. Sayuri began to shout a warning to them when the imposter threw off her disguise and announced her plan to keep the two captive during the fight. Sayuri looked down defeated. She could not do a thing to prevent what had transpired. So instead, she directed her attention to the fight about to take place. Kurama-san (as she had decided to refer to him, for anything else would have seemed disrespectful) was stepping up to the ring from team Urameshi. His opponent leaped up to the ring, throwing off his cloak to reveal a demon with blue-hued skin. To everyone's surprise (except for his teammates), the demon proceeded to take out two paintbrushes. He explained that bodypaint boosts one's spirit energy immensely as he drew strange markings on his body with the paint strapped to his waist.

Then the battle began. The blue demon, Gama as he had introduced himself, leapt about getting ever closer to Kurama who for the time being dodged his every move, until the paintbrush flashed and Gama retreated. Kurama looked perplexed. On his ankle was a strange marking left behind by his opponents brush. He then tried to move. Sayuri could see his eyes widen with shock. Gama laughed.

"You can no longer escape from me. You can't get away. Not from the bodypaint of death!"

Sayuri watched in terror as Kurama-san tried and failed to escape from Gama painting his three remaining limbs, restricting all freedom. Then, Gama decided to finish his opponent. Sayuri turned, unwilling to watch such a brutal scene. But an unexpected sound reached her ears and she was forced to turn. There stood Kurama-san, unharmed, with his famous rose-whip surrounding him. When he turned, Sayuri saw that it had woven itself into his hair, using that as a base and his spirit energy as the controls. Gama did not at all look well. He had been wounded badly, sliced by the thorny whip.

Sayuri watched with pity as the demon stumbled, throwing punches that never came close to making contact with his opponent, splattering more and more blood onto his person. All the meanwhile, Kurama-san tried to tell him to stop, to conserve the life energy he still retained, to use it and heal himself. But Gama didn't listen. After a few more far missed he collapsed onto the ground smiling a queer smile. Sayuri heard only fragments of what he said:

"I've bottled you up…you were careless about my blood. Your Reiki has been completely bottled up. Even after I die, my Yoki will not disappear for some time… Let's see if you can dodge your next opponent until then…"

Sayuri gasped, as did Kurama-san's teammates. The next opponent was coming and the red-haired boy was completely defenseless.

The next member of the Shinobi stepped up and threw off his cloak. This was the ice-master, Toya. At this point, Sayuri decided that she could no longer watch as defeat was inevitable and she could better occupy her time by returning to the healers' tent and gathering some supplies for the nurses in the field, including her, as they would surely need it soon. She found it more difficult than expected to tear herself from the coming battle and not look back as she headed for the tent. Once inside, she found that her hands were shaking. _I guess that healing and all the stress have taken a greater toll on me than I had known. Though it's probably mainly the stress, it was harrowing, watching the fight_. Sayuri decided that attending the Dark Tournament again would not be a wise idea. As she gathered the supplies, Sayuri made sure to take her time as to not return any sooner than necessary. There was no sense in watching more of this brutality.

After almost 10 minutes of gathering materials, Sayuri exited the tent and froze. Toya was charging Kurama-san with an ice-blade as Kurama-san stood defenseless, without so much as a staff to block the oncoming blow. Unable to look away, Sayuri watched as all in a moment, Toya was stopped. With one hand surrounded in Shimaneki grass held the blade. The other had pierced through his opponent with a Shimaneki grass sword. Sayuri walked over to the other healers. Both fighters would need a healing and the other two girls were calling Sayuri over to decide who would take which. Luckily for Sayuri, the other healers decided that Toya was hot and they even threatened to fight Sayuri for the privilege of attending him. In the meanwhile, Toya had fainted and Kurama had been declared the victor. Sayuri's coworkers ran to the demon as the announcer realized that the winner of the match still had not moved. She then announced a trade in from team Urameshi but was contradicted by the tournament committee. The unconscious Kurama was to fight in the next match. With a brutality outweighing that of the previous two fighters, a big brute of a demon began by punching his motionless opponent to the ground. When the announcer began the count, the demon picked up Kurama by the collar and announced that since the boy was up, he had not yet lost. After a few more blows, Sayuri was ready to run up and put herself in the way of his punch. That was when the captain of the other team halted the attack. Sayuri had not been the only one ready to take action. Both Hiei and Yusuke were also ready to attack. Only slightly annoyed, the large demon threw his opponent off of the arena.

Sayuri ran over, shooing away Yusuke who could probably do more harm than good while trying to help his friend. She winced when she saw the damage. Various cuts covered his body as well as several more serious wounds like the one in his arm. First she needed to move him to a better-shielded spot. Looking around, she decided that the best option would be to use the wall of the arena to lean him against. Laying out a blanket from her kit of supplies, she allowed the slightly offended Yusuke to more Kurama from the ground to the cloth and to help her move him to the arena's wall. As Yusuke jumped onto the arena to take on his opponent, Sayuri retrieved some anesthetic and began to wipe away the dirt from her patient's wounds. She then stopped, frowning. She had seen what the Shimaneki grass could do to someone, so there was no way it was harmless even to its owner. Sayuri placed both hands on Kurama's chest and focused her mind to feel for the damage beneath the surface. The grass had done more damage than she had expected. It had spread beneath the skin, weaving itself around his lungs, constricting his breathing. _This was what probably was primarily responsible for his passing out._ She could also see that he must have been quite strong to have remained alive after such an invasion as the average person would have quickly perished. Focusing her Reiki, Sayuri concentrated on the weed, forcing it to grow in reverse, to return to its origin, the seed implanted in his right arm. After several minutes of intense focus, the grass was again only a seed which Sayuri carefully removed and then destroyed. In a few more minutes, her Reiki had helped his body to repair the damaged tissue and she removed her hands, exhausted with the effort. By this point, his breathing was more regular and Sayuri relaxed slightly and began to gather her materials and pack them again. Kurama's eyes opened, filled with surprise at the absence of pain.

Sayuri, greatly relieved, smiled at her patient. Her work finished, she stood with her kit in hand. Her surroundings swayed and suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

A/N: Maybe I should consider going back to shorter chapters and updating more frequently? I apologize. I realize this took a while to update. SO! What will happen next? ^-^ Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, etc.

Chapter 3

Sayuri awoke to a pair or dazzling green eyes searching her face in worry. _Oh no… I must have fainted._

"If you don't mind my asking, what is your name?"

"Sayuri Inoue." She blushed. The intensity of his look made her feel as though to him, nothing else existed.

"That is a lovely name." Kurama smiled as Sayuri blushed a deeper shade of red. "I would like to thank you for healing me and tell you that I am very much in your debt. I could not help noticing; you must have a way with plants. The Shimaneki grass is a very stubborn weed as it is from the demon realm and you seem to have been able to remove it."

"A few people have told me so," Sayuri spoke quietly, still looking down. "If it's not too much trouble, is it possible…could you please maybe teach me a few ways of using this power in the way of self defense?" The words came out somehow, but she was terrified of looking up and seeing the discomfort in his face, at having to phrase a polite refusal.

"Of course." Another warm smile that she felt rather than saw. "It is the least I can do considering as I've said before, I am in your debt. Perhaps you might be willing to teach me a few of your healing techniques? I know enough about various flora and its healing capabilities but I am not too familiar with your technique of using Reiki to accelerate the natural healing process." Kurama placed a cool hand to her head. "You seem a bit warm. I would suggest resting a while before continuing with your healing duties."

Sayuri mumbled an apology. _He probably thinks I'm an idiot. Going about and fainting. _She hung her head in shame.

Mistaking her embarrassment for annoyance at being thus confined, Kurama seated himself beside her. "Don't worry, I'll keep you company."

"No no! It's alright! You don't need to stay."

"Don't worry, it's no trouble at all."

The warmth in his voice banished Sayuri's doubts and only increased her blush. Both fell silent, but it was a comfortable silence, somewhat of a blanket of comforting stillness, separating them from the fight raging only yards away.

After a few more minutes, Sayuri, intoxicated by the warmth, felt brave enough strike up a conversation: "This tournament is so…brutal. Somehow I didn't take you to be the type of person to be involved in such a thing…"

Kurama paused briefly, as though weighing his choices, whether to tell the stranger in front of him the real reason for Team Urameshi's involvement in the Dark Tournament. After a moment, having decided that she was trustworthy, he began to tell Sayuri the full tale.

Sayuri sat back, listening in amazement. She had never expected such a tale, but it did explain why such respectable people would engage themselves in such an event. As she listened, she had not realized how far she had leaned in, and now was only inches away from the green-eyed youth who had so quickly won her regard. Sayuri drew back, her breath catching in her throat. _There is no reason I should be feeling this way. I have only known him for a day, that's hardly time enough to produce such a reaction… must just be part of being this age, being so silly…_ But even though logically she could not justify it, all her senses spoke to her, telling her that here is a truly kind individual, someone who would not think twice before sacrificing himself for someone he loves; and how strongly her inner self wished to be among that number.

* * *

Upon finishing a summary of the past events, Kurama paused, surveying the face of his audience. Previously pronounced surprise had been replaced by understanding. He would definitely need to see into training her for his own reasons as well as hers. Demons with plant magic were rare enough; humans were rarer still. Kurama was interested in the idea, scientifically. What did her powers consist of and how strong could she become? There was also the matter of learning to heal. Though he had been appointed the team medic, there was really nothing he could do of his own energy. His help came chiefly from knowing which herbs to brew for a desired effect. And besides all of that, she seemed like a kind girl and he wondered why she would be thinking so much of self-defense.

"Inoue-san, why is it that you would like to learn to protect yourself?"

"Hm?"

"Well, as we've already established, we are both fairly decent people. So, what are you going at such a bloody tournament and why would you like to learn self-defense?"

Sayuri turned to gaze into the crowd; anything to avoid those green eyes and their honest interest in her life. "My mother…she passed away a few weeks ago. She was killed by a stranger who tried to rob her. That is why I'm here; I need to earn some money for myself and for my sister. We have no other family and need some way to get by. As for learning self-defense, I don't wish to end up the same way my mother did. Then Mai would have no one at all." As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks. Sayuri had loved her mother dearly and though she worked hard to mask it, the pain of the losing her was still a deep wound, barely scabbed over.

Another silence fell between them. Sayuri's heart skipped a beat as she felt the weight of his hand on hers. There was compassion in the gesture that made words unnecessary.

* * *

Sayuri could not keep a smile from her lips as she bustled about the kitchen, preparing dinner. The primary battles were done, leaving some time before the semi-finals would take place. Kurama-san had offered to teach her a few things in self-defense. They had agreed on the following morning at 10 to go over to the field behind the stadium and practice some basic techniques. She would be teaching him the basics of focusing one's Reiki to probe into another, looking for injuries and releasing one's power to heal them.

Still lost in thought, Sayuri wandered over to the table and began to set out the dishes.

"Wow…you're sure out-of-it."

Sayuri started and turned around wide-eyed. "Huh?"

"You do realize that you've just put out the sugar instead of the salt, right?" her younger sister remarked.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"Heh." Mai sat down. "I bet I know what happened…" an evil smirk. "you're going to see that red-haired boy again, aren't you?"

"What? Why? Where'd you get such a silly idea?"

"You're blushing. I win," she grinned.

Sayuri sat down, defeated. "How'd you guess?"

"Well, partially, it's because I've heard so much about your Kurama-san before, from the girls I sit with. It seemed like you two should get along very well. Then, I have to admit, I watched you two sitting together from the stands. I'm glad I was right. Don't worry, I approve of him."

Sayuri turned crimson at Mai's last words as her sister laughed. "If it weren't for our difference in appearance, people would usually think you were my older sister, harassing me as you always do."

"No way. It's a little sister's duty to make her older sister as uncomfortable as possible." With an even wider grin, Mai picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.

* * *

Three hours later, Sayuri sat in a whirlwind-created mess of papers, in the midst of a mental breakdown. She had expected that she'd make some notes, a sort of plan, for the lesson. That way, even if she was to be very nervous, she would have the plan to fall back on. Now, she didn't even know what to plan. How was she to explain healing without actually showing what she did? However, the klutz that she was, she had managed to cut herself while cooking and because of her fainting spell the previous morning, she had been reluctant to heal the cut herself. Also, knowing at least most of her limits, she had only bandaged the smaller cuts after she had disposed of the Shimaneki grass. _I suppose a demonstration might not be a bad idea...Just as long as I don't faint again._

Satisfied with at least some semblance of a plan, Sayuri decided that it was time for bed. She turned, surveying the room. Her eyes fell upon the mirror. Her green eyes shone and there was a slight blush to her cheeks. Somehow the world seemed like a more welcome place now. Directing her thoughts towards the heavens, Sayuri smiled: _Perhaps we'll be alright after all, mother._

As Sayuri sat on the grass, she tried very hard to keep herself from fidgeting. It had turned out to be a beautiful day, which was good. The sun was shining and it was warm. However, it was all too easy to notice that it was already 12 minutes past 10 and he was not yet there. She looked around the clearing. It was a stunning place and she wondered how he had first come across it. The grass was littered with miniature purple flowers and lily of the valley. Beyond the flowers, the clearing was encircled by a dense forest which glowed emerald with the help of the sun. She had just begun contemplating how much longer she should wait before returning home when she spotted movement in the trees.

At that point, it was impossible not to notice the incandescent red hair as the tall figure emerged from the forest.

"Sorry I'm late. My mother called. I have been away from home for quite some time now and I didn't want her to worry…"


End file.
